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A Big Upgrade for Conseco

This bullish call comes from more than just one analyst.

Every day, the sun rises on Wall Street, and a plethora of professional analysts wake to issue new opinions on stocks. Here at the Fool, we use our "This Just In" column to examine some of these picks-- and the track records of the firms behind them -- so individuals can make better investing decisions.

In addition to following professional banks, anyone can use Motley Fool CAPS to monitor the collective opinions of more than 135,000 members, many of whom demonstrate better investing insight than published analysts do.

Top-performing CAPS members keep pouring onto the bullish side of Conseco(NYSE:CNO) -- enough to lift the insurance holding company all the way from a bottom-dwelling one-star rank several months ago to four stars today. A total of 180 members have given their opinion on Conseco, with many of them offering analysis and commentary explaining the growing optimism.

TARP recipientsHartford Financial(NYSE:HIG) and Lincoln National(NYSE:LNC), as well as life insurer MetLife(NYSE:MET), swung to second-quarter losses, as insurers such as MetLife and Prudential(NYSE:PRU) have been susceptible to weak credit markets.

Health and life insurer Conseco followed seven consecutive quarterly losses with a quarterly profit in the first quarter, and expects to post a quarterly profit again for the second quarter. The company expects to have much smaller investment losses compared with last year, as markets have rebounded in recent months, which could also take some pressure off other insurers like AIG(NYSE:AIG).

After getting back in the black in the first quarter, when Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE:BRK-A) insurance business posted decent numbers, some CAPS members saw Conseco coming back from the brink. It completed the amendment of an existing senior credit facility a few months ago, easing credit concerns, and the company plans to be in compliance with its debt covenants by the end of the second quarter. Some CAPS members like the company's low price-to-book multiple, and the company has been able to consistently generate operating cash flow.

To see what the very best CAPS analysts are saying now about Conseco -- as well as other winning stocks they are picking -- head on over to CAPS and have a look. The community research and resources in CAPS are totally free, unlike analyst opinions.

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Fool contributorDave Mockrecently upgraded his regular lunch menu with a little Dijon mustard on the bologna sandwich. He owns no shares of companies mentioned here. Berkshire Hathaway is both aStock AdvisorandInside Valuerecommendation. The Fool owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway. The Fool'sdisclosure policyis fully insured against any catastrophe, even if its favorite baseball team comes in last.